Me, Myself, and I
Despite the popular notion that we link to every mention of Jane Austen in the media here at AustenBlog, we only link to mentions that are interesting to Janeites and/or snarkable; the former for obvious reasons, and the latter because we like to believe that Jane would have approved. 
This article is a rather weak and tenuous link to Jane Austen, and really does not fit into either category described above, but it is a subject near to the heart of the Editrix and her Inner Copy Editor.
If you want to impress people with your command of English, here’s a useful tip. Learn the difference between “I” and “me”, then use “me” correctly. People will think you got it wrong. They will then discover that you were perfectly right. Your standing will grow.
Here, from The Times of London (3 October 2005) are two instances on the same page. The first is by Ken Russell, the famous film director:
My father was a distant figure who took delight in scaring my mother and I in a weird way.
The second is from a lady novelist:
They sent Stephen and I back to Poland.
How to get it right? Easy. Just blank off the two words before “I”. And then the sentences would read “? took delight in scaring ? I” and “They sent ? I back to Poland.” At which it’s plain that “I” is wrong.
[. . .]
The past is no guide. It is true that Jane Austen has “Mrs Forster and me are such friends.” (Pride and Prejudice) which is wrong. But that is the character, Lydia Bennet, speaking.
In Jane Austen’s work, poor grammar is an indication of poor intelligence (Lydia Bennet, Lucy Steele). The misuse of “I” and “me” is one of the Editrix’s main pet peeves, especially when used by someone who should know better (i.e., professional writers, television news reporters, etc.)
January 12th, 2006 at 6:22 am
I love it when people try to sound so educated and erudite and then they use a clunker like “between he and I.”
This actually reminds me of one of my Penguin editions of “Emma.” In the scholarly section, the professor in charge of that particular edition called attention to Chapman’s insistence upon regularizing Mrs. Elton’s pet name for her husband. In one place, she calls him “caro sposo,” “cara sposo” in another, and yet another iteration elsewhere. It was the Penguin professor’s contention that JA intended for Mrs. Elton to make those mistakes because it shows what an idiot she is. Personally, I tend to agree with the Penguin professor’s thesis.
January 12th, 2006 at 9:30 am
Heh. I almost mentioned Mrs. Elton and her wandering sposos. Thanks for bringing it up.
(I think Jane did it on purpose, too.)
January 12th, 2006 at 3:43 pm
*stands up and applauds*
*feels nerdy*
*sits back down*